1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrosurgical devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electrosurgical electrode having a flash edge for concentrating an electric field generated during an electrosurgical procedure.
2. The Relevant Technology
In the area of electro surgery, medical procedures of cutting tissue and/or cauterizing leaking blood vessels are performed by utilizing radio frequency (RF) electrical energy. As is known to those skilled in the medical arts, electro surgery is widely used and offers many advantages including that of the use of a single surgical tool for both cutting and coagulation. The RF energy is produced by a wave generator and transmitted to a patient's tissue through a hand-held electrode that is operated by a surgeon. The hand-held electrode delivers an electrical discharge to cellular matter of the patient's body adjacent to the electrode to effect cutting.
In many electrosurgical systems, the electrode is an unsharpened blade which has been entirely coated with an insulating layer. With such an electrode, rather than using a mechanical action, cutting is performed by electrical energy capacitively transferred through the insulating layer to the tissue which is to be cut. In such electro surgery, “cutting” is accomplished when energy transfer is sufficient to cause water in tissue cells to boil, thus rupturing the cell membranes by internal rather than external forces. Relatively high energy levels have been required to effect such electrosurgical cutting.
The concentration of the RF energy discharge affects both the efficiency with which the electrode is able to cut tissue and the extent of thermal damage to adjacent tissues. With a standard electrode geometry, the RF energy tends to be distributed over a relatively large area of the active electrode surface. This broad distribution of RF discharge requires greater energy output to achieve the desired electrosurgical effect, which increases the likelihood of extraneous charge loss into surrounding tissue, resulting in unwanted and excessive thermal damage to surrounding tissue.
While standard electrode geometries have found wide-spread acceptance in the field of electro surgery, there has been a continuing need for further improvement in electro surgery to effect a reduction in thermal necrosis, thereby decreasing post-operative complication, reducing eschar production, reducing incidence of heat damage to tissue away from the cutting site, and increasing the precision and speed of cutting. Therefore, it would be an advantage to have an electrode that increases the concentration of the RF energy discharge, while at the same time limiting unwanted tissue damage. The subject matter claimed herein, however, is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.